The 68-year-old DJ now faces an anxious 10-day wait to find out if he will face a retrial over two allegations on which the jury failed to reach a verdict.

And he was in no mood to celebrate even though he had just been found not guilty of a dozen counts of indecent assault after a 23-day trial.

He revealed the legal costs of fighting to clear his name had already meant he had to sell his £1.2million dream mansion in Buckinghamshire and move to a smaller home nearby.

Speaking outside Southwark crown court , South East London, with wife Marianne at his side he admitted after the verdicts: “I’m not over the moon about any of this today.

“I don’t feel like this is a victory in any way, shape or form.

“On the contrary, I think you already know that I have been through a year and a half of hell on this which included costing me so much money to pay out for my part of this trial – proving the point that not all famous people have got loads in the bank.

“Therefore, I had to sell my house in order to do it but that’s OK. I’m not moaning because there are lots of people worse off than me.

"However, I did lose my reputation as well, which I may try and get back later.”

The former Radio 1 and Top of the Pops presenter added: “All I want to do now is go home, relax with my wife who has been suffering through all this with me and been by my side all the time.”

Julia Quenzler/Central News

Reaction: A sketch of Travis after the verdict

The 14 charges against Travis were said to involve 11 separate young women between 1976 and 2008. None can be named for legal reasons.

He denied all the allegations.

The eight men and four women jurors were unable to reach a verdict on allegations that he assaulted a female theatre worker in his dressing room at a performance of the pantomime Aladdin in 1990, when he was playing the evil wizard Abanazar.

They were also unable to decide whether he was guilty of fondling the breasts of a ­journalist who interviewed him at his home in 2008.

Judge Anthony Leonard discharged them from deliberating over the two remaining charges and gave the prosecution until February 24 to consider whether there would be retrial.

He told Travis: “You are to return to court on that date at a time that will be set down.”

The DJ, who was released on bail, replied: “I understand. Thank you.”

The jury had been out for nearly four days.

As the verdicts were announced Travis leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes briefly and then regained his composure.

Swedish-born Marianne did not attend the trial to hear any of the evidence, but had been there to support her husband of 42 years since the jury retired on Monday.

Other supporters included his personal assistant Margaret Merritt, a former backing singer with 70s pop group Pickettywitch.

She had described Travis to the jury as “quite tactile but never in a sexual way”.

Getty

Radio: Dave Lee Travis

Travis, charged under his real name David Patrick Griffin, was said by the prosecution to be a sexual predator who groped vulnerable women when the opportunity arose.

He was accused of indecently assaulting a string of victims, including a teenage fan on Top of the Pops as he introduced an act, a BBC clerk live on his radio show , a 15-year-old girl at a Showaddywaddy concert in 1978 and two girls at Chiltern Radio in 2001 when he presented a Classic Gold show.

He was arrested under Operation Yewtree, the investigation set up in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal in 2012 – but the case was not connected with the Savile abuse inquiry.

The allegations against Travis began when the BBC clerk and a former Radio 4 announcer went public with claims that the presenter had assaulted them.

Travis held a press conference in which he vigorously denied any wrongdoing – prompting other women from various parts of the country to contact police and allege the star had also assaulted them.

Travis was accused of 13 charges of indecent assault and one of sexual assault by touching.

The court also heard from five other women, called as “bad character witnesses”, who claimed they too had been groped.

His accusers included a carnival queen at the opening of a local radio station in the early 70s, a woman who claimed he molested her in a car after a party at Norwich Union’s offices in Norwich, a BBC camera- woman who said she was assaulted during Top of the Pops rehearsals, another woman from Chiltern Radio and a journalist from a German magazine who said he fondled her during an interview.